Past revealed of mentally ill amputee who cornered cop

Mental illness prompted Brian Claunch, who was fatally shot by an officer, to get rid of his own left arm and leg

Abilene Reporter-News

HOUSTON, Texas — Mental illness prompted Brian Claunch to get rid of his own left arm and leg. Then, despite his disabilities, he spent the better part of a decade finding opportunities to run away from residential care facilities, preferring to live on the streets.

Yet in recent months, the 45-year-old man who was in a wheelchair and had paranoid schizophrenia seemed to settle into some stability, staying put, taking his medications.

That all abruptly ended this past weekend in a confrontation with police in which a Houston police officer fatally shot Claunch.